Improvement in bee-house



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N.PETERS. PROT LITHOGRAPHER A RING N un tad .sans

stent @time Letters Patent No. 96,668, lated November 9, 1869.

IMPRovEMENT 1N BEE-HOUSE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom it' may concern Be it known that I, D. BURBANK, ofLexington, in the county of Fayette, and State of Kentucky, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Bee-Houses; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof', ret-- ereuce being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making part of this specification, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, like letters indicating like parts whereverthey occur. l 4

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use my invention, Iwill proceed to describe it.

My invention relates to4 bee-houses; and consists in constructing andarranging them in a novel manner.

In the drawings-v Figure l is a horizontal section on the line y y oftig. 2; and

Figure 2 is a vertical section on .the line :t x of iig. 1.

The object of my invention is to combine,'in a cheap and convenientform, all the advantages of double hives foiwinter or summer use, aswell as those ot a bee-house, and, at the same time, avoid thedisadvantages ot' the ordinary bee-house and double hives.

While my bee-house is specially designed for the use ot' what are knownas Langstroths movable combhives, it is also suitable for the use ot'any kind of hives.

I construct it in rectangular form, and out of' any suitable.niaterials, making it large enough to contain four or more hives, andmount it on posts u.

The sides A, I line with rooting-paper, saturated with asphaltum, ifdesired,as shown in red lines in both iignres,to make them tight andwarm.

The tloor I make hollow, by the use ot' an upper floor I, as seen intio'. 2.

The top or root' I also make hollow by providing it with a chamber C, asshown in the same figure.

This roof I hinge at K, so that it may be turned up, in order to obtainconvenient access to the interior when desired for any purpose, and alsoprovide it with a ventilator, c.

In the centre of the bottom of the house, I make an opening, e, which lprovide with a slide, F, so arranged as to admit more or less air, asdesired, for the purposes of ventilation.

In the upper iloor I is a corresponding opening, to allow the upperpassage of the air.

Within this house I place four or more hives, G, separating them fromeach other, andtrom the sides of the house, by an arrangement ot'strips, H, placed a short distance from the upper tioor, as shown iniig. 2, to allow'an air-space below them, and also provided with anopening, e', .for the passage of air.

Thc hives G I arrange so that their entrances, 71., may be in diiierentsides of the house, in order that the young queens, when returning ii'omtheir` flight, may not enter into the wrong hive.

I construct the entrances through the sides of the house, so that theymay be kept open or closed, as desired. This maybe done in various ways.

One very simple and convenient method is to place a pin, i,horizontally, on Ieach side of the opening 71, and on them rest-boardsd, provided with thumb-screwsE f, or other suitable device, for securelyfastening them over the openings. y

These can be conveniently removed orfirmly secured, as desired.

vIn one side of the house, and near the top, I make a window, N,providing it with a sliding door or blind, so that a person from theoutside may look into the house, and' may also shut out the light afterhe has seen all that he desired.

In order to secure. greater uniformity of temperature throughout thehouse, the 'double doors and top may be iilled with chai?, shavings, orother light or suitable material.

As access can be had to the upper part ofthe house by means of theremovable or hinged top G, or through the window IT, it is obvious thatboxes L can be conveniently placed upon the hives G,`for

storing the surplus honey, and may be as conveniently removed.

A bee-house constructed in this way possesses many zulvantages. y

By means of the opening in the bottom, just such a quantity of air as isrequired, having reference to the comibrt and health of the becs, may beadmittcd.

This air, in its passage through the house, will iill all the air-spacesabout the hives, and iinally vescape through thc chamber G andventilatore. `IVhile iir the house, it will be warmed more or less bythe natural warmth ofthe becs, and in this way will assist in protectingthem from the cold in winter.

The chamber C, above, will be' found to ,answer many useful purposes,besides adding to the protection of the bees in severe weather, it maybe used as a feeding place for them, it`,at any time, it should becomenecessary, and will also serve as a dark chamber, where surplus queenscan be kept in nucleus boxes.

IVhile my bec-house possesses these advantages for wintering bees, itwill bc found to possess no less advantages for their summer use, as thedouble top and bottom, in connection with its system .or arrangement iorventilation, protects the hives against extreme warm weather, bysecuring an even temperature.

` Having thus described my invention,

-What I claim, is d the hives G and strips H, with the devices forven- 1. A bee-house, having its sidesvlined with a watertilation, andentrances for the bees, all constructed proof material, its fioor orbottom double, with an and arranged substantially as herein'deseribed.

opening and slide to admit air for ventilation, and D. BURBANK. with itstop or roof removable, and provided with a chamber andV with aventilator, all constructed and Witnesses:

arranged substantially as herein described. O. H. TOMPKINS,

2. In combination with a bee-house thus 'consti-neted, T. G. HARKINS.

